Sen. Menendez Says Trump Nominee Who Oversaw Policies That Separated Children From Parents at the Border and Botched Response to Hurricane Maria Has No Business Leading Consumer Protection Agency

Prior to casting a "no" vote, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, spoke out against Trump's nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathleen Kraninger, citing her record of failures at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), lack of credentials and disregard for the people she is required to protect. Republicans pushed through her nomination on a party-line vote.

In her current position at OMB, Kraninger oversees policy implementation and provides management guidance to the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Treasury (Treasury), and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Today was not the first time Sen. Menendez assailed Trump's pick for the Directorship. In early July, the Senator, along with Banking Committee members Senators Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren and Catherine Cortez Masto, called for Kraninger to provide a full accounting of her role in the Administration's terrible response to Hurricane Maria while she was serving as Associate Director at OMB.

Kraninger provided no response.

A day before Ms. Kraninger was set to appear before the Banking Committee for her nomination hearing, Senator Menendez spoke out again about the Administration's botched disaster response in Puerto Rico citing FEMA's highly critical After Action Report. Kraninger fared no better in attempting to answer the Senator's queries during her hearing the next day.